Fire detection networks are commonly used in business settings to protect life, safety, and property. A fire detection network can include one or more individual detection or monitoring units or panels. Each detection or monitoring unit can operate as an individual system. Alternatively, multiple fire detection units can be networked together to form a larger detection or monitoring system. Fire detection networks can be installed in large facilities or multiple buildings, such as campus-type environments.
Examples of fire detection systems are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,222 to Tice entitled “Multiple Sensor Apparatus and Method” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,263 to Tice et al. entitled “Circuitry for Electrical Device in Multi-Device Communications System”, which are assigned to the assignee hereof. Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,222 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,263 are hereby incorporated by reference.
In peer-to-peer fire detection networks, each fire detection unit or panel within the network contains a unique set of operating parameters or configuration data. These parameters are defined by an installer based on the particular operating characteristics required for a given installation. Typically, a configuration utility, resident on a personal computer (PC), is used to configure the network. Then, the configuration data is transferred from the PC to the units within the network.
The environments in which fire detection networks are deployed are often harsh. Detection units can be placed in unconditioned environments and be connected to miles of field wiring. During the life of a fire detection unit, fire detection equipment can become damaged or otherwise rendered inoperable through water damage, lightening, power line surges, and like. When such damage occurs to a unit, the unit requires replacement and must be reprogrammed to once again operate as part of the network.
When it becomes necessary to replace a detection unit or panel, a new unit must be physically installed to take the place of the old unit. The physical replacement of a unit typically involves only the disconnection of field wiring, swapping in the replacement panel, and restoring connections to field wiring. However, once physically installed, the replacement unit must be reprogrammed using the PC-based configuration utility, as described above, in order to obtain full functionality.
While the physical replacement of a fire detection unit can be accomplished without intimate knowledge of the fire detection network, reprogramming a replacement unit can be more difficult. Traditionally, reprogramming a replacement unit has been done manually. Reprogramming a unit or panel can require specialty tools, software, expertise, and access to the latest configuration data. Furthermore, the reprogramming process can be time consuming and prone to errors.
There is thus a continuing, ongoing need for a fire detection network that employs an implicit data backup and recovery system. The implicit data backup system should allow fire detection units within a network to be automatically reprogrammed with configuration data. Preferably, the units can store backup data and can access the stored backup data when necessary.